Kickstarter Fun: Wu & Y: Combines Art & Activewear

Artistic Activewear Brand Raises 20K on the First Day of its Kickstarter Campaign. An “Athleisure” Brand Encourages Artists & Fitness.

Let’s explore the new.

– Wu & Y, a newly launched fashion Brooklyn-based startup raises $20k on Kickstarter in its first day. The fashion line combines activewear shorts for comfort with one-of-a-kind design and arts created by artists around the world. The shorts designed by artists with a music festival groove are intended for everyday use, yoga class, and off the beaten path travel adventures. Wu & Yu cultivates a culture of supporting artists by paying each artist a percentage of each sale, as well as allow the wearer to express their aesthetic.

Riding high on the growing popularity of “athleisure” apparels, Wu & Y goes a step further and breathes art and character into the usually predictable aesthetic of activewear. Wu & Y innovates and shakes up the fashion world.

Eric Wu, Creative Director, said, “We love to explore, experience, and travel. But our shorts don’t let us do what we want – everyday shorts look okay, but we can’t dance or workout in them. Athletic shorts feel great, but they look odd outside of the gym. What one short for them all? Show off your personality in fresh designs from independent artists. Ditch the fanny pack for a secret pocket + 4 zip pockets. Stay comfortable and move in our soft, athletic fabric. Explore the New! Our shorts will have you look good even and enhance activities that bring joy to your life.”

Empowering Artists

Wu & Y shares its revenues with its artists, and every pair of shorts sold helps to support the artists. For each pair of shorts that the company sells of an artist’s design, the artist gets back 5 to 10% of each sale, which can become a very lucrative deal for the creatives as we expand and moves into mass production.

The Designs

Have fun with psychedelic and retro patterns printed on shorts made from athletic material and intended to avoid the practical pitfalls of your standard gym shorts. The pockets are sewn into the side seam to prevent unwanted bouncing and closed with zippers to provide security while dancing or rolling around. And, of course, there’s a secret compartment behind the drawstring designed to foil pat-downs.

The Goal

W & Y’s goal is to provide artists a way to make a living out of their art and to encourage a playful lifestyle. It pays the artist a fixed percentage of revenues from clothes they designed. The Wu & Y shorts are comfortable and stylish enough to wear to bars and festivals while also being functional enough to encourage spontaneous outdoor adventures and dancing.

About Wu & Y Next Exit: Brooklyn

Led by Eric Wu, a former analyst in Sales & Trading at Morgan Stanley, Wu & Y is a crowdfunded art-on-activewear Brooklyn-based brand that believes in sharing revenues with its artists and encouraging a playful lifestyle. The psychedelic and retro shorts are the company’s first product line and designed with music festivals, dancing and adventures in mind. The brand launched on Kickstarter on May 24 and was fully funded in 3 hours. Founded by a team of friends with Eric Wu as the creative director, the company is a group effort based on the idea that it takes a community to serve its needs.

Featured Artists

Chris Dyer’s exploration of inner worlds and ability to juggles mediums, styles and themes sets him apart as an innovator in the different art movements. Because of his unique voice, and high productivity, Chris has become one of the leading figures of the North American Visionary Art scene.

Yoko Honda is a Japanese artist creates 80s-inspired artwork. Featured in numerous magazines, apps and fashion brands around the world, her Memphis patterns, and pastel colors are much in demand.

Archan Nair is a self- taught visual artist, illustrator, and Digital Artist. His visual expressions are part of a journey influenced by the mysteries of life and-and our interconnectedness. Archan has been featured in various publications and has achieved recognition from music artists like Kanye West along with collaborations with Chris Brown and Lindsay Lohan.